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Monday, January 11, 2016

Webcomic Updates, Art, and Other News!

Echo Effect
is back! It’ll be updating Mondays and Fridays throughout January. I might have
to reduce it to just Mondays once February is here, though. It all depends on
how quickly I can complete new strips!

Since updates were so few and far between in 2015,
I merged three strips together to speed up the story. The original version of
#202 had been a pain to draw, so merging it with two others allowed the
difficult-to-draw stuff to get edited out, LOL.

Nicholas hasn’t outright said this in the webcomic
yet—he will eventually—but yeah, he’s asexual. I’ll fight anyone who insists
that’s impossible. (And if you do
feel the need to fight me on this…wow, you probably shouldn’t read my
webcomics, since I like to include characters on the ace spectrum quite a bit.)

* * *

I have new art to share today, too! A few of you
may have seen this already, if you follow me on social media, but here’s some fluff
of Nicholas and Coco…

This is the second piece of art I’ve completed
this year. I can’t share the first, since it’s an out-of-context spoiler for
the third volume of Echo Effect. (You
guys are currently reading volume #2.) I’m in the process of setting up a
Patreon page, though, where mildly spoilery art would be one of the perks. So…yeah,
Patreon will be the place to be for some exclusive Echo Effect content, if any of you are into that sort of thing!

Nice to read up on your updates, good going Heather! I can imagine a relationship where one is asexual and the other is not can be difficult, though I find hugging and being close (just being close together) can be just as intimate. I think it would be great if this comic can open up some minds.

Thank you, Corona! :) Yeah, a mixed relationship like this has its fair share of friction. Some couples can make it work, but for many others, it's too much of a strain. Nicholas and Coco will need to have a deep discussion about this, once everything's calmed down, to see if his asexuality is a deal-breaker, or if there are compromises they can both live with.

Saw this the other day and I just love your new art, Heather. Didn't know Nicholas was asexual. A huge shock for Coco and after being led to believe otherwise too. It's going to add a whole new dimension to their story. I hope after the anger passes they can at least be friends, but 'you be the storyteller' :)

Nicholas' asexuality hasn't really been outed till now, but I'm hoping anyone who re-reads Echo Effect will be able to see the signs in retrospect. (Or, at the very least, understand how his old flirty behavior was simply to hide his insecurities and make people like him, and not get into anyone's pants!)

Nicholas may not experience sexual attraction, but he's still very much attracted to Coco romantically, so it would probably break him if he could only be friends with her at this point!

Hugging and touching isn't automatically sexual. Nicholas hugs his grandma a lot, for example. It's simply how he shows affection.

Even if Nicholas decided to engage in sexual activities, that wouldn't change the fact that he's asexual. Asexuality, at its simplest definition, means not being sexually attracted to others. While some asexuals are repulsed enough by the idea of sex to avoid it, others are indifferent, or capable of tolerating it to please their partners. Exactly where Nicholas falls on this spectrum will be explored later on in the webcomic, but at the end of the day, he's only attracted to Coco romantically, and not sexually.

Holy cow! You've started 2016 with a bang! The new panels are great and I love the color drawing too. You know your characters best and others shouldn't try to tell you "who" they are. Good luck with Vol 2 and with the new vamp story as well!

"Knowing what he's missing" wouldn't change the fact that Nicholas is asexual. Depending on where he falls on the spectrum, his feelings toward sex could range from indifference to disgust, should he ever engage in it.